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Jared Polis: "Frack" is a four-letter word

By Jared Polis

Posted:
07/31/2013 04:52:50 PM MDT

Updated:
07/31/2013 04:53:42 PM MDT

A worker climbs up the machinery at a fracking operation off of Weld County Road 5 last week in unincorporated Weld County near Berthoud. The operation is located directly across the street from U.S. Rep. Jared Polis's weekend getaway home. Polis, who is outspoken on the problems and issues surrounding fracking, is upset and is suing for a temporary restraining order. (Kai Casey, Times-Call)

Recent innovations in oil and gas recovery have led to a boom in natural gas extraction across Colorado. Increased domestic natural gas production is already helping reduce both energy costs and our reliance on foreign oil from unstable regions.

Recently, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal even warned his countrymen that their oil-reliant nation is under threat because new fracking methods are leading to increased oil and gas production elsewhere in the world. That's good news for America. New natural gas recovery technologies are fast becoming global "game changers" with important positive security and economic ramifications for the United States.

However, living in a state with natural gas can be both a blessing and a curse. For years, I have met with devastated families impacted by fracking in their communities. If you live in Colorado, you have probably heard about hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. While the oil and gas industry has long had a presence in Colorado, fracking and directional drilling technologies have enabled natural gas companies to drill in our residential neighborhoods. One day, families have a backyard; the next day, they have a backyard industrial zone with a drill rig in it.

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I had heard stories about getting "fracked," but it's difficult to understand the extent to which, overnight, your life can get turned upside down until you experience it. Last month, a towering drill rig was built overnight near our family farm, and is now spewing black smog and making loud noises into the night. Our Berthoud farm, where our 2-year-old son ran joyfully by a pond and even learned one of his first words ("turtle") and where my in-laws have been living for several years, had been part of our family's Colorado dream. When the drilling rig went up next door, without notice or warning, our dream became a nightmare. My family has officially been "fracked."

Fracking has become a problem for many Coloradans, whether you do not want your children playing under an industrial site or whether you don't want their water to be contaminated by spills. Fracking also presents potential problems for our economy, including the travel and tourism sector. We must ensure that we don't hitch ourselves to the inevitable energy boom-and-bust cycle to the detriment of other important economic sectors.

During the recent Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) rulemaking process, I argued for local control, common-sense regulations, and increased distance from homes. The oil and gas industry fought hard against these changes, and unfortunately a sensible balance between homeowners' rights and the extraction industry was not reached. The industry isn't going to be able to deny the public's concerns about health and quality of life. Instead, it will only flame the fire leading to more local bans and extended legal uncertainty. Now I am calling on state lawmakers to address public concerns and reach the right balance for Colorado. Here are some common-sense suggestions:

1) The majority of the representatives on the COGCC should be home- owners, farmers, representatives from diverse business sectors including tourism, and health advocates. While the oil and gas industry should also be represented, it should not be the tail that wags the dog.

2) Local control should be respected. Counties and municipalities are already regulating drilling in a manner consistent with their local economy and goals, and we need to explicitly allow them to do so.

3) The rights of homeowners and their neighbors should be respected. Surface property rights should mean something, and if someone wants to drill on your land or in your neighborhood, they should have to consult with you beforehand.

4) Additional distance, or "offsets," should be required between where people live or work and where fracking takes place.

5) Penalties from COGCC need to be large enough to serve as deterrents, not just a cost of doing business. Colorado also needs to take enforcement seriously. We now have fewer than 20 enforcement employees monitoring more than 40,000 wells. This is simply not enough.

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